So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's StLJN's latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:

* Radio host, author and photographer Dennis Owsley and his new book St. Louis Jazz: A History were the subjects of a feature story in the Webster-Kirkwood Times. 

* Trumpeter Russell Gunn was interviewed by NextBop.com about Pyramids, the new album from his Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra.

* Meanwhile, saxophonist Andre Delano (pictured) has released a new single, "Where Will You Go," an instrumental version of a tune by R&B crooner Babyface, for whom Delano currently serves as musical director and bandleader. 

*  Trumpeter Kasimu Taylor, members of the Saint Boogie Brass Band, and saxophonist Kwanae Johnson appeared Monday on the morning newscast at KTVI (Fox 2). They were promoting the benefit show this Sunday at .ZACK raising money for Johnson and his family, who recently lost their home to a fire. 

* Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard's opera Fire Shut Up In My Bones, which premiered last season at Opera Theater St. Louis, next year will be the first opera by an African-American composer ever to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

* At the New York opening weekend of the new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the film's director Stanley Nelson and writer Quincy Troupe, who co-authored Davis' autobiography, took part in a Q&A session, which was recorded and now has been posted on YouTube.

* Davis and his landmark album Birth of the Cool are the subjects of an essay in the latest Jazz Times by composer and arranger Ryan Truesdell

* The latest episode of the podcast "Jazz at 100" features music recorded by Davis' quintet and sextet between 1956 and 1959.

* Davis' late 1950s music also was the subject of a recent tribute concert by Richard Pite’s Jazz Repertory Company at Cadogan Hall in London, which was reviewed by London Jazz News.

* Lastly, the Miles Davis estate has announced the impending release of a new music video for "Moon Dreams," as recorded by Davis in 1949 for Birth of the Cool. The video is "influenced by Miles Davis’ own sketches and imagines a night in New York City through every era of jazz."

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Six St. Louis saxophonists you should know

When talk turns to saxophonists from St. Louis, many knowledgeable music fans will associate our city with David Sanborn and World Saxophone Quartet founding members Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill.

Sanborn, Bluiett, and Lake all grew up in this area, and Hemphill, though not a native, made an important contribution to the Black Artists Group here, and first gained national recognition for his album Dogon A.D., recorded at Oliver Sain's Archway Studios on Natural Bridge Rd. in north St. Louis.

Going beyond those well-known names, though, there definitely are more saxophonists with roots in the St. Louis area who are enjoying noteworthy careers in jazz and creative music, and today StLJN is featuring videos from six of them that every local jazz fan should know. After you've sampled their sounds here, check out their respective websites for more info.

Leading off is Greg Osby, who can be seen in the first video up above doing a spontaneous duet with bassist Christian McBride on the standard "The Song Is You," recorded in July 2014 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

After the jump, it's Marty Ehrlich, playing a duet with pianist Myra Melford on her composition "Be Melting Snow," recorded in 2015 at The Stone in NYC.

That's followed by Eric Person doing a full set with his band Meta-Four, recorded in November 2016 at the Blue Note in NYC. Along with Person, the group includes guitarist Freddie Bryant, keyboardist Adam Klipple, bassist Adam Armstrong, and drummer Shinnosuke "Shin" Takahashi.

Next up is East St. Louis' own Andre Delano, seen here working the crowd on a version of Prince's "Adore," recorded in 2016 at The Tavern at Fire Station 1 in Silver Spring, MD.

The fifth video features Chris Cheek with his quintet performing his composition "Pelican Blues" in a show last month at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Along with Cheek, that's James Fernando on piano, Francois Chanvallon on guitar, Max Gerl on bass, and Tyson Jackson on drums.

In the final clip, Butch Thomas plays "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets," written by his former employer Sting, at a gig 2011 in Tampa FL, backed by Frank "Third" Richardson (drums), Tim George (bass), Ron Reinhardt (keyboards), and Peter Mongaya Hogsholm (guitar).

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Jazz this week: Andre Delano, Denise Thimes, Cornet Chop Suey, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music shows in and around St. Louis includes a well-known expat back home for a couple of "summer vacation" shows, showcase performances for one of the city's reigning vocals divas and one its top traditional jazz bands, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, July 9
Saxophonist and former East St. Louisan Andre Delano (pictured, top left), who now lives in California, is back home this week for a pair of shows, performing Thursday at Bistro Six Eighteen in East St Louis and Friday at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Thursday, guitarist Vincent Varvel's trio will get Jazz at Holmes "Jazz in July" summer series started with a free concert at Holmes Lounge in Ridgley Hall on the Washington University campus; and bassist Willem von Hombracht will play duets with guitarist Chip Katz at Thurman Grill.

Friday, July 10
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, center left) returns to Jazz at the Bistro to headline a weekend of shows; and pianist Greg Mills will play solo and improvise freely at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes perform at Nathalie's; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, July 11
Saturday morning, TrailNet and Jazz St. Louis will present the first-ever St. Louis jazz history bike tour, led by JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford and starting at Jazz St. Louis HQ on Washington Ave.

That evening, saxophonist Tim Cunningham begins a series of summer Saturday performances at Troy's Jazz Gallery; and singer Tom Kavanaugh and pianist Tim Garcia will perform at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Sunday, July 12
The St. Louis Jazz Club present presents traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey (pictured, lower left) in a matinee at the Doubletree Hotel in Westport; while the Friends of Scott Joplin will hold their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous"at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

On Sunday night, the St. Louis Big Band will play a free outdoor concert at Zion United Methodist Church in South County.

Monday, July 13
Singer Dean Christopher offers an encore of his "Rat Pack and More" show at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar ; and trumpeter Keith Moyer's group plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, July 14
Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris perform jazz and French pop music at Nathalie's.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Jazz this week: Chesterfield Jazz Festival, Patrice Rushen, Andre Delano, Wine Dine & Jazz Festival, and more

It's jazz festival time across North America, with major events taking place in a number of cities including Montreal, Vancouver, Minneapolis -St. Paul, Washington DC, and more.

And though our town no longer has a large-scale, multi-day fest since the unfortunate demise of the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival a few years back, local jazz fans can take some solace in two smaller festivals plus many other jazz-related events happening around town this weekend. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight is the final show at Robbie's House of Jazz in Webster Groves, as the club ends its five-year run with New Hampshire-based singer Wendee Glick fronting pianist Dave Venn's sextet. (Robbie's co-owner and GM Dorothy Edwards has said she's looking for a new location with greater visibility; StLJN will have more information on that as it becomes available.)

Also tonight, the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music; and Dizzy Atmosphere and Coco Rico offer a double dose of string band swing and Gypsy jazz at Thaxton Speakeasy.

Tomorrow, saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano is back home to perform a one-nighter at the Rustic Goat; and The People's Key, with special guests multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris and saxophonist Matt McKeever, will present "Never Can Say Goodbye: Jazz Memories of Michael," their tribute to the music of Michael Jackson, at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso's quartet will perform at Nathalie's; keyboardist Matt Villinger leads a trio at Cigar Inn; trumpeter Jim Manley plays at Thurman Grill; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be at C.J. Muggs in Webster Groves.

On Saturday, the second Chesterfield Wine and Jazz Festival will take place at Chesterfield Amphitheater. Unlike last year's ticketed show, this year's event is free and open to the public, and will feature a lineup topped by the electric jazz group Yellowjackets (pictured).

Also on the bill are Bach to the Future with special guest saxophonist Eric Marienthal; a group fronted by saxophonist Freddie Washington and drummer Maurice Carnes; pianist Ptah Williams' tribute to Chick Corea, and saxophonist Christopher Braig's band with singer Erika Johnson. For a closer look at a recent Yellowjackets show, check out this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also on Saturday, the second day of the Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival in Belleville will feature keyboardist Pete Ruthenburg interpreting the music of Herbie Hancock, plus sets from singer Zena; Latin jazz band Son Montuno; and Soul Cafe.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Keith Moyer's quartet will play at Evangeline's; saxophonist Sam Hargadine's group with guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Feyza Eren will be at Bar Italia; and the Gateway City Big Band will play a free outdoor concert at Kirkwood Park Amphitheater.

On Sunday, the summer edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Hall on the south side.

Later that afternoon, keyboardist and singer Patrice Rushen, who lately has been doing more teaching and film scoring than performing, will be in town for a rare appearance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more about Rushen and some video samples from recent performances, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Sunday, the Missouri Association for Jazz Education will present a jam session at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and on Tuesday, Miss Jubilee will play a free outdoor concert at Fanetti Park.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Edited after posting to fix an incomplete sentence.  

Coming soon: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Andre Delano, Alan Evans' Playonbrother

From StLJN's various in-boxes, word of three more upcoming shows of interest to St. Louis fans of jazz and creative music:

* Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey will return to St. Louis for their second show here this year at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, June 21 at The Blind Tiger at Sutton Place, 7376 Manchester Rd in Maplewood.

JFJO, now a three-piece with keyboardist and founder Brian Haas, lap steel guitarist Chris Combs, and drummer Josh Raymer, last played here in January at The Demo.

The Blind Tiger, which opened in December, is a bar and restaurant featuring artisanal pizza and small-batch whiskies. The music offerings shown on their Facebook page seem so far to be mostly alt-rock and Americana bands and DJs, so this show looks to be something a little different for them.

Opening acts will be Bum and Possum Combination, described as "a project whose influences span all genres of art, from the free jazz improvisation of Peter Brötzmann to the surreal worlds in the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet"; and the New Orleans band Yojimbo, which includes Mike Dillon Band members Carly Meyers (trombone), Patrick McDevitt (bass), and Adam Gertner (drums), plus keyboardist Doc Sharp. Tickets are $13 each and are on sale now.

* Saxophonist and former East St. Louisan Andre Delano will be back in town to perform at 9:00 p.m., Friday, June 27 at the Rustic Goat, 2617 Washington Ave downtown. Delano (pictured) was here most recently in March to play a gig at the Bistro at Grand Center. Tickets are $20 for general admission, and are on sale now.

* Drummer Alan Evans' band Playonbrother, formerly the Alan Evans Trio, will revisit St. Louis to play at 9:00 p.m. Thursday, July 24 at The Gramophone. The St. Louis-based instrumental quartet Belagroove  opens. Evans, best known as drummer and co-founder of Soulive, played here with his own trio most recently in 2012 at the Old Rock House. Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 day of show and are on sale now.

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Galactic, Pat Metheny Unity Group, Andre Delano, a tribute to Eddie Lang, and more

As the city wakes up the morning after Fat Tuesday, there's no post-Mardi Gras slump in the schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis. This week includes shows from several noteworthy touring musicians, plus a homecoming performance from a well-known expat, and much more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, Sean Jones returns to Jazz at the Bistro to open a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday. The former lead trumpeter with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jones (pictured) has been a frequent visitor to St. Louis on his own in recent years, most recently performing at the Bistro in 2013 with both the "Triumph of Trumpets" show and as guest soloist with the student JazzU ensembles. For this visit, he'll be accompanied by a top-notch group including pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Obed Calvaire.

Tomorrow night, another group of frequent visitors returns, as New Orleans' funk/jazz/hip-hop band Galactic checks in for their annual appearance at The Pageant, this time with singer Maggie Koerner as special guest and the Mike Dillon Band as opening act. For more about Galactic, plus some recent performances of theirs on video, check out this post from a couple of Saturday ago.

Elsewhere around town on Thursday, saxophonist/clarinetist Elsie Parker's group featuring pianist Ken Kehner will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; singer Feyza Eren and pianist Scott Shepard will star in "Colored Sky: An Evening of St. Louis Jazz," a benefit for the Diversity Awareness Partnership presented at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues with a performance of Ken Haller's "The TV Show" at the Gaslight Theater.

On Friday, the husband-and-wife team of pianist Joe Dreyer and singer Rosemary Watts continue the Gaslight Cabaret Festival with their show "Swing Into Spring"; singer Wendy L. Gordon returns to DeLeo's Cafe & Deli; vibraphonist Tom Rickard leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom

Then on Saturday, Connie Fairchild, the soulful singer best known for the long-running local rock band bearing her last name, will make her debut as a cabaret performer with a show called "Down By The River" at the Gaslight Theater.

Also on Saturday, Wack-A-Doo will be at the Tavern of Fine Arts; saxophonist Jay Hutson and Da Wolvez play R&B-inflected tunes at Robbie's House of Jazz; jazz-fusion band The Freedom make their debut at Thurman Grill; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to the Venice Cafe.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a tribute to guitarist Eddie Lang at the Sheraton Westport, featuring guitarist Rick Haydon, trombonist Brett Stamps, clarinetist Scott Alberici, drummer Miles Vandiver, and bassist Zeb Briskovich.

Sunday evening offers dueling headliners, as saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano will be back home to play two shows at the Bistro at Grand Center, while guitarist Pat Metheny brings his Unity Group to town for a highly anticipated performance at The Pageant. For more about the Pat Metheny Unity Group and their brand new album Kin, see this post from last Saturday.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday percussionist Joe Pastor and his group are back at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, the jazz-fusion group Common Time (formerly known as Steizuello) will be joined by a string quartet for a "Notes From Home" performance at the Sheldon; and Boisyiac, a new quartet including guitarist Mason Baran, bassist Nathan Pence, drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs, and keyboardist Matt Villinger, will play at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

(Edited 3/6/13 to add some links and clean up typos.) 

Andre Delano to perform Sunday, March 9 at Bistro at Grand Center

Saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano (pictured) is coming back home to perform at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 9 at the Bistro at Grand Center.

The gig is in support of Delano's latest single "Help Yourself," which will be featured in two versions on the forthcoming 9 Mile Road compilation on Woodward Avenue Records.

A graduate of Lincoln High School, Delano first gained national attention with his 2005 album Full Circle, which included tracks such as "Night Riders" and "Foot Steps" that got substantial airplay on smooth jazz radio. His credits as a sideman include performances and/or recordings with Maxwell, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder, Chieli Minucci, Doc Powell, Bobby Lyle, and others.

Since his first solo album, Delano has released two more CD as a leader, and also spent three years as a featured performer in singer Lionel Richie's touring band. He last played in St. Louis in March 2013 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Tickets for Andre Delano at the Bistro at Grand Center are $25 and are on sale now via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Kurt Elling, Ronnie Burrage, Phil Woods, Andre Delano, and more

It's another busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with the return of one of the top male singers in jazz; a rare local appearance by a legendary saxophonist; homecoming gigs featuring three different musicians who grew up in the area, and much more. Let's go the highlights....

Tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist Jim Widner and featuring top musicians from all around the metro area, plays the music of Count Basie at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Tomorrow night, singer Kurt Elling opens a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. One of the most critically acclaimed jazz singers working today and a relatively frequent visitor to St. Louis, Elling was here most recently in 2011. His latest album 1619 Broadway – The Brill Building Project, which came out last year, focuses on novel interpretations of pop tunes created at the famous NYC address that was home to  Bacharach and David, Lieber and Stoller, Goffin and King, and other hit songwriters of the 1950s and 60s. For more about that album, and some video samples of some recent performances by Elling, see this post from last Saturday.

On Thursday, drummer and U. City native Ronnie Burrage (pictured), who's played with jazz greats including Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner and Joe Zawinul and now teaches at Penn State University, will be back home for the first of several events this week, leading a trio in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Also on Thursday, it's the monthly "Avant Garde Arts Night" featuring live improvised music at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Then on Friday evening, Burrage and a quartet featuring saxophonist Freddie Washington will perform for the first of two nights at The Office, located at 5917 Delmar (east of Skinker, in the building most recently home to Binion's).

Update - 3:30 p.m., 2/28/13:  The performances by the Ronnie Burrage Quartet on Friday and Saturday have been moved to the clubhouse of the Probstein Golf Club in Forest Park. See this post for details.

That same evening, Lindy Hop St. Louis presents their monthly "West End Stomp" swing dance at the Mahler Ballroom with music from guitarist-singer Tommy Halloran's quintet; and guitarist Tom Byrne leads a trio with drummer Steve Davis and bassist Nathan Pence at Cigar Inn.

On Saturday afternoon, Burrage will present a drum workshop and master class at the Wolf Public House in Ballwin; tickets are available through the event's sponsor, Mozingo Music.

On Saturday evening, an hour or so to the south of St. Louis down in Park Hill, MO, renowned saxophonist Phil Woods will be the special guest performer for this year's Carol Moore Memorial Jazz Festival at Mineral Area College. Now 81, the bebop master continues to spread the musical legacy of Charlie Parker, with whom he was personally acquainted. (In fact, after Parker's death, Woods wound up marrying his widow, Chan Parker, who died in 1999.) The event will feature a series of student bands from around the area performing throughout the day, and conclude with an evening concert featuring Woods, the MAC Jazz Ensemble, and MAC Kicks Band.

Update, 12:30 a.m., 2/27/13:  Michael Goldsmith, director of jazz at Mineral Area College, emailed to add that Woods will be presenting a free, public master class at noon on Saturday. Also, there actually will be two separate concerts that night featuring Woods and the MAC bands: one at 6:00 p.m., which already is sold out, and one at 8:30 p.m., for which tickets still remain.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Willie Akins fronts a quartet at Robbie's House of Jazz, Miss Jubilee will perform for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom, singer Joe Mancuso leads a trio at EdgeWild Restaurant and Winery, and singer Ann Dueren's trio will be at Il Bel Lago.

On Sunday, saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano, whose R&B-flavored style has been featured on tours and recordings with Maxwell, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, Lionel Richie and many others, returns home from California to perform in an early evening show with Good 4 The Soul at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday guitarist Larry Brown Jr., who grew up in Venice, IL and attended SIUE, will return from Chicago to present a jazz tribute to Motown great Marvin Gaye as part of the "Notes From Home" series at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Andre Delano to perform with Good 4 The Soul on Sunday, March 3 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups

Saxophonist Andre Delano, the East St. Louis native who's had significant success as a touring musician and recording artist, is returning home to perform at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 3 at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

He'll be backed for the gig by Good 4 The Soul, which includes fellow East St. Louisans Adaron "Pops" Jackson (keyboards), John King (bass), James Jackson (drums), and Shaun Robinson (guitar).

Delano (pictured), who now lives in California, grew up in East St. Louis and went to Lincoln High there during the tenure of the school's famed band director Ronald Carter.

After attending Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, he turned professional and subsequently has performed and/or recorded with Maxwell, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder, Chieli Minucci, Doc Powell, Bobby Lyle, and Lionel Richie, for whom he was a featured sideman for three years. For some samples of Delano's playing, check out this StLJN Saturday video feature, which ran in 2010 before Delano appeared at The Pageant on a double bill with Euge Groove.

Tickets for Andre Delano and Good 4 The Soul at BB's will be $10 at the door.

Jazz this week: Euge Groove, Andre Delano, and more

With many summer concert series having run their course, and the fall presenting season yet to get underway, it's a relatively light week for live jazz in St. Louis.

All the more reason, then, to turn out for saxophonist, vocalist, and East St. Louis native Andre Delano (pictured). who's back home to perform Friday night on a bill with Euge Groove at The Pageant. For more about Delano and some video clips of him in action, see this post. For some video footage of Groove in concert, check out this post.

UPDATE - 9:30 a.m., 8/20/10: Delano did a brief Q&A with writer Terry Perkins for an article in today's Post-Dispatch, which you can read online here.

Elsewhere around town, Robbie's House of Jazz has vocalist Crystal Haywood on Friday and its house band, the Robert Edwards Ensemble, on Saturday.

BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups will feature Good 4 the Soul for the early set on Sunday night, and then on Monday, the Sessions Big Band returns to the BB's stage after a summer hiatus.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: "Livin' Large" with Euge Groove

This week's video spotlight shines on saxophonist Euge Groove, who's coming to St. Louis next Friday, August 20 to perform at the Pageant on a double bill with saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano.

Born Steven Eugene Grove, Euge Groove graduated from the well-regarded University of Miami School of Music in 1984. He first earned wide public recognition when he replaced Richard Elliot in the funk band Tower of Power, and also did session work with various pop acts before putting out his first solo CD in 2000. Groove has played in St. Louis several times, at the Pageant and more recently at the now-defunct Finale Music and Dining. However, this is his first trip here in a couple of years, so if you're thinking about going on Friday, expect a sizable turnout of smooth jazz fans enamored with Groove's mix of emotive sax, straightforward chord progressions and steady funk backbeats.

The first video up above features a performance of the title song from Groove's CD Livin Large, recorded in 2008 at the Festival In the Desert in Phoenix, AZ. The saxman's backing band in this clip, and the next two, includes drummer Phillip Beale, bassist Darryl Williams, keyboard player Marcus Coleman and guitarist Ross Bolton.

Down below, you can see and hear performances of "Born 2 Groove" and "Sneak A Peek" from that same 2008 gig in Phoenix. The fourth clip shows a performance of "Say My Name" recorded in April of this year in New Haven, CT. (The sound quality on this clip suffers a bit from excess compression, but the performance itself is worth checking out.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Andre Delano

Today, we've got some videos featuring saxophonist, vocalist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano, who's coming back home Friday, August 20 to perform at The Pageant on a bill with fellow saxman Euge Groove.

Delano is a graduate of East St. Louis' Lincoln High School, which during the tenure of former band director Ronald Carter produced a number of musicians who have gone on to have successful careers in jazz, including trumpeter Russell Gunn, pianist Tony Suggs of the Count Basie Orchestra, drummers Terreon Gully and Montez Coleman, pianist Reggie Thomas, and more.

After attending Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, Delano turned professional, subsequently performing and/or recording with Maxwell, Jeff Lorber, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder, Chieli Minucci, Doc Powell, and Bobby Lyle. Most recently, he's been a featured member of singer/songwriter Lionel Richie's touring ensemble since 2008.

Delano released his first solo CD Full Circle in 2005, followed by the holiday album First Christmas in 2006. His most recent CD is is 2008's My So Fine.

The first video up top features Delano performing "Night Riders," a song from his CD that garnered considerable smooth jazz airplay upon release. Down below is the music video for "The Da Da Song," which had similar success, and below that, a short excerpt from a one-off gig Delano did a couple of years back at the Bistro, in which he's backed by Good 4 The Soul, which includes fellow ESL LHS alumns John King on bass and Adaron "Pops" Jackson on piano.

The fourth video is the electronic press kit (EPK) released to promote Full Circle, and includes some interview footage with Delano; plaudits for him from musicians such as Jeff Lorber and the Blackbyrds' Kevin Toney; and a brief performance excerpt.

The Pageant announces three summer smooth jazz concerts

The Pageant today announced a series of three smooth jazz shows this summer, including the Guitars and Saxes show first mentioned here on StLJN last month and now officially scheduled for Friday, August 13.

The 2010 Guitars and Saxes tour features Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, Peter White and Jeff Golub. The Pageant's summer smooth jazz series also will present trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot reprising their "R&R" collaboration on Friday, July 30; and a double bill of saxophonists Euge Groove and former East St. Louisan Andre Delano (pictured) on Friday, August 20. All three concerts will be hosted by radio personality Rick Sanborn.

Ticket prices are $35 - $50 for each show, with three- and two-show packages available. Tickets will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, May 14 via Ticketmaster and the Pageant box office.

Anita Rosamond performing on Dave Koz Smooth Jazz Cruise

Singer and pianist Anita Rosamond (pictured) is escaping the St. Louis winter cold this week, heading down to the Caribbean where she's been added to the roster of performers for the 2010 Dave Koz Smooth Jazz Cruise.

The sold-out cruise, which starts Saturday and continues through January 24, is produced by St. Louis-based Jazz Cruises LLC. It will feature nearly 40 musicians and singers, including Rosamond and two East St. Louis natives - vocalist Phil Perry and saxophonist Andre Delano - as well as Marcus Miller, Stanley Jordan, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Euge Groove, and other smooth jazz stars.

Rosamond performed on the company's Jazz Cruise in November of last year, and also is booked to appear on the Jazz Cruise scheduled for January 2011.

(Edited 1/20/10 to fix a bad link.)

Post article recounts contributions of St. Louis' black musicians

In acknowledgment of Black History Month, over the weekend the Post-Dispatch ran an article by pop critic Kevin Johnson presenting an overview of some of the most famous African-American musicians from St. Louis.

In addition to the expected Chuck Berry and Tina Turner references, the piece contained capsule biographies and audio samples of Miles Davis, Josephine Baker, Fontella Bass and others, while also namechecking trumpet legend Clark Terry and younger jazz players Russell Gunn, Andre Delano, Eric Person and Greg Osby. Read the whole thing here.